Overview
It has been an eventful week in Asia-Pacific aviation as Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways said it would spend a record US$2.32 billion on new aircraft in the next ten years and consider a service to Israel. The carrier also announced the much anticipated changes to its Marco Polo Club frequent flyer program, essentially reducing the benefits of low-tier customers and increasing those of frequent flyer premium class passengers. In China it was business as usual. Another week, another carrier as YTO Express and Okay Airways both launched new cargo operators to tap into China’s growth-bound freight market. In Thailand, flag carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) has been made an offer it did not expect. Further south, flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, opened the world’s largest maintenance hangar and said it was on track to meet its performance targets for this year.
Cathay to spend US$2.32 billion on new aircraft by 2024 Read More »
Airline News
CDB Leasing offers $4 billion in credit facilities
Aviation ties between China and the U.S. keep growing. China Development Bank (CDB) Leasing Co., which owns 188 aircraft and ranks in the world's top ten leasing companies by assets, last Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Boeing Capital Corp. for financing and leasing services valued at $4 billion for carriers to take delivery of new Boeing aircraft. Read More »
Airline News
China adds cargo carrier and Cargolux says gloom overstated
Cargolux is in talks with Boeing to buy five additional B747-8Fs, worth $1.9 billion at list prices, the head of Europe's largest all-freight carrier said on Tuesday. Read More »
Airline News
THAI veterans offer help to keep flag carrier flying
A group of ten Thai Airways International (THAI) veterans, with a combined working experience of 300 years at the flag carrier, has offered assistance to the airline for a token fee of 10.60 baht ($0.29) to help it avoid bankruptcy, the Bangkok Post has reported. Read More »
Airline News
South Korea updates “safety concern” list of airlines
Thai Airways International (THAI), Garuda Indonesia and Air Astana are among six airlines added to an aviation safety concern list by South Korea’s transportation ministry. Read More »
Airline News
Virgin wins battle for Tigerair’s Bali flights
Virgin Australia's budget subsidiary, Tigerair Australia, will launch Bali flights from Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth from March after the International Air Services Commission (IASC) ruled the carrier was an “Australian international airline”. Read More »
Airline News
Garuda opens world’s ‘largest’ MRO hangar
Garuda Indonesia on Monday opened "the world’s largest" maintenance facility at its Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta base to support the state-owned carrier’s growing fleet as well as regional carriers tapping into Indonesia's growing aviation market. Read More »
People
Inmarsat appoints industry vice president
Frederik van Essen, formerly with Air France-KLM, is Inmarsat’s new vice president aviation strategy and communications. He is based in Geneva. Read More »
Short Takes
IT: Singapore Airlines has signed with Panasonic Avionics to become the first airline to introduce a mobile app that personalizes a passenger’s journey end-to-end, enabling travellers to see what movies and other entertainment will be available on their specific flights, create play lists, and even see ratings from other passengers. Read More »
